Apparatus and method of harvesting berries



Aug. 30, 1966 T. H. FRICKS 3,269,099

APPARATUS AND METHOD OF HARVESTING BERRIES Filed May 27, 1964 Fig! 52 mINVENTOR 70 Truman H. Fricks Fig.3 a2 BY i/Q W my ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 3,269,099 APPARATUS AND METHQD 0F HARVEilTING BERRIIE Trumanl'rl. Fricks, 1302 Rains St., Arlington, Tex. Substituted for abandonedapplication Ser. No. 196,792, May 22, 1962. This application May 27,1964, Ser. No. 372,446

9 Claims. (Ci. 56-41) The present invention relates to apparatus forharvesting fruit and more particularly to a novel method and apparatusfor harvesting fruit which grows upon vines that can be trained to growon a trellis such as blackberries.

Increased labor costs have greatly affected the agricultural economy ofthe country. In an effort to combat the rising labor cost, certainsegments of agriculture have become very highly mechanized. Thus, theproduction of certain farm products, such as cotton, corn, many smallgrains and other products, is mechanized to a very high degree. On theother hand, certain areas of the farm economy are not so readilyadaptable to a mechanized type of operation. Thus, production of berriesand other fruit has not been successfully mechanized and, as the resultof the greatly increased labor costs, in many regions of the country the'berry industry has virtually vanished.

According to the present invention, an improved method and apparatus forharvesting berries, particularly blackberries, is provided. Inpracticing the present invention, the trellises upon which the berryvines grow are inclined to facilitate the catching of the fruit which isthreshed from the vines by suitable means such as a compressed airvibrator. As the fruit falls from the vines on which it grows, it isallowed to fall into a trough containing running water or otherwisedirected into the trough. Once the fruit arrives in the trough, it ishandled thereafter by the movement of Water containing the fruit insuspension thereby allowing large amounts of fruit to be handled quicklyand without damage.

In accordance with one specific embodiment of the invention, a largetank containing water is mounted upon wheels to allow it to be eitherpropelled by its own motive means or else pulled by a tractor or truck.A trough is mounted along two adjacent sides of the tank. The trough isat a relatively low elevation and extends outward from the large tanksuch that it will extend underneath the vines on which the fruit grows,and when the fruit is threshed from the vines it will fall into thetrough. The trough slopes slightly in one direction such that when wateris admitted to the upper end of the trough it will flow along the troughwashing the berries which fall into the trough with it. A conveyor beltis mounted along the back of the tank for purpose of transporting thewater containing the berries in suspension into the tank. The action ofthe conveyor belt and the valve which regulates the flow of water intothe trough is synchronized such that the amount of water removed fromthe trough by the conveyer belt is equal or substantially equal to theamount of water being admitted to the trough through the valve. Theberries fed into the tank of water will remain in a state ofsemisuspension in the water and not settle to the bottom of the tank.The water provides a cushion to prevent damage to the berries, and ithas been discovered that emersion of the berries in the water does notproduce an appreciable absorption of water such as would make theberries undesirable. Due to the cushioning effect of the water, a largeamount of berries can be placed in the tank.

Many objects and advantages of the invention will become readilyapparent to those skilled in the art as the fiiii fifi Patented August36, 19663 following detailed description of the same unfolds when takenin conjunction with the appended drawings wherein like referencenumerals denote like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view illustrat'ng the apparatus provided bythe present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view of the rear of the apparatus provided bythe present invention further illustrating the relationship between theapparatus and the trellises on which the berries to be gathered growwhen the apparatus is in use; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in cross section taken along line 33 ofFIGURE 2 illustrating the preferred manner for tensioning the lower endof the conveyor belt utilized in the present invention.

Turning now to the drawings, the apparatus provided by the presentinvention is denoted generally by the referenced numeral 10. Theapparatus Ill includes a large tank 12 that may be mounted on a platform14. The platform 14 is mounted on an arrangement of wheels 16 and axles18 by supports 24} in the method well known in the art.

The tank 12 may be formed of steel, aluminum, fiber glass or othersuitable materials. At spaced points along the wall of the tank, panels22 of suitable transparent material are provided. The transparent panels22 are not necessary, but are desirable for reasons that will becomeapparent as the description of the invention unfolds. The tank 12 ispreferably somewhat smaller than the platform 14 to provide a cat walk24 around the periphery of the tank in which the operator of theapparatus can stand and move. A railing 26 may be provided as aprotective feature to prevent the operator falling from the platform 14.

A trough 28 is also provided. The trough 28 includes a portion 30 whichextends along the side of the platform 114 and a portion 32 whichextends along a portion of the rear of the platform 14. The trough 28may be connected to the platform 14 by supports 34. The trough 28 isconnected to the platform 14 in such a manner that the portion 30 of thetrough 28 slopes downwardly toward the portion 32. A conduit 36 providescommunication between the tank 12 and the trough 28 to allow the waterto flow from the tank into the trough. The flow of water from the tankto the trough 23 is controlled by valve 38 which is provided with ahandle 40 for purposes of opening and closing same. A removable screen(not shown) may be provided to cover the inlet to the valve 38 andprevent the fruit in the tank flowing into trough 38.

The rear portion 32 of the trough 28 includes a sump portion 42 in whicha conveyor belt 44 turns and moves. The conveyor belt 44 is ofconventional type and may include a rubber belt 46 on which a pluralityof buckets 48 are mounted. An upper roller 50 and. a lower roller 52 areprovided for tensioning the conveyor belt 44. The diameter of the lowerroller 52 is such that the buckets 48 mounted on the conveyor belt willbarely clear the walls of the sump region 42 of the trough 28. The upperroller 5th of the conveyor belt 44 is of relatively small diameter suchthat as the buckets travel over the top of the roller 50 they will beemptied very quickly.

The upper roller 59 is mounted on a shaft 54 which is journaled forrotation in bearings 56 and 58. The bearing 56 is mounted on braces 60and the bearing 58 is mounted in similar fashion on the brackets 62. Apulley 'wheel 64 is also mounted on the shaft. 54. The pulley 64 isdriven through a continuous belt 66 by a small gasoline engine 68 orother suitable means.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, a portion of the platform 14 is cut away toallow the conveyor belt 44 to extend through the bed 14 of the trailerand into the sump portion 42 of the trough 28. The roller 52 whichtensions the lower portion of the conveyor belt 44 is journaled forrotation about a shaft 70. The shaft 70 is connected to a U-shapedmounting bracket 72 which is connected to the bed 14 of the trailer bysupport 74. The rolling contact between the roller 52 and the shaft 70is lubricated by the water contained within the trough. It is preferredthat the shaft 70 not extend through the wall of the trough 28 as itwould normally require the presence of a grease seal. The presence ofgrease or other oils in the water will adversely affect the berrieswhich are being harvested by the apparatus. FIGURE 3 also illustratesthe step 76 which is provided for gaining access to the bed 14 of thetrailer on which the apparatus is mounted.

As the motor 68 drives the shaft 54, it Will cause the conveyer belt 44to move in the direction indicated by the arrows. Thus, as the buckets48 move in the sump portion 42 of the trough 28 they will pick up watercontaining the berries which have been harvested from the trough 28 andcarry it to the top of the roller 50. As the buckets 48 pass over thetop of roller 50, they are inverted and the contents of buckets 48 willspill out into the dish shaped container 88. It is practical for theconveyer belt 44 to be inclined toward the container 80 to insure thatthe contents of the buckets 48 are emptied into the container 80.

The dish shaped container 80 is mounted on the mounting brace 82 forrotation in a horizontal plane by a ball and socket joint 84. Thecontainer 80 includes a spout portion 86 which normally extends over thewall of the tank 12 such that the water and berries emptied into thecontainer 80 will flow into the tank 12. As the container 80 isrotatable, it may be turned such that the spout 86 will direct the watercontaining the berries that have been harvested in any other directionalso.

A drain pipe 88 that communicates with the tank 12 is also provided. Theopening of the drain pipe 88 should be flush with the bottom of the tank28 and, preferably, the bottom of the tank 12 may be recessed in theregion of the pipe 88. A valve 90 controls the flow of material throughpipe 88. The outlet of valve 90 is connected to pipe 92 which feeds intothe trough 28.

For best results, it is desirable that the apparatus provided by thepresent invention be used in harvesting berries which are grown ontrellises which are inclined in the manner shown in FIGURE 2. If theberries are grown on such trellises, virtually all of the fruit willdepend from the vines on the inclined side of the trellis and, asillustrated in FIGURE 2, the trough 28 may extend completely beneath thetrellis such that virtually all of the fruit which is removed from thevines by vibration or other similar means will fall into the trough.

In operation of the apparatus provided by the present invention, theapparatus is moved along a path parallel to the trellis on which theberries to be gathered grow. The apparatus 10 may be moved either bytruck or tractor or the apparatus 10 may be provided with its own motiveforce. The apparatus 18 is positioned relative to the trellis 94 onwhich the fruit to be gathered grows such that the trough 28 extendsunderneath the trellis 94 as shown in FIGURE 2. It is to be appreciatedthat the drawings provided herein are for illustration only and are notto scale and that it is practical for the trough 28 to be positionedvery close to the ground such that virtually all of the berries to begathered will be above the trough.

The tank 12 is filled approximately one-half full of water prior to thetime the harvesting operation begins. As the apparatus is brought intoposition adjacent the trellis on which the berries grow, the valve isopened to allow water to flow into the trough 28. The engine 68 is alsostarted, causing the conveyor belt to move, picking water out of thetrough 28 and transporting it into the container from which it isdirected into the tank. The speed of the conveyor belt 44 and theopening of the valve 38 are adjusted such that the amount of waterremoved from the trough 28 by the conveyer belt 44 is substantiallyequal to the amount of water admitted to the trough 28 by the valve 38and conduit 36. The operator then moves along the catwalk 24, threshingthe berries from the vines which grow on the trellises. To this end, thegasoline engine 68 may also be utilized to drive an air compressor (notshown) which would furnish pneumatic pressure for a penumatic vibrator.Any suitable means for threshing the berries from the vines may be used,however.

As the berries are threshed from the vines, they will fall into thetrough 28 in which the water flows. The specific gravity of the berriesis such that they will not float in the water nor will they settlecompletely to the bottom, rather remaining in a state ofsemi-suspension. The berries will flow with the water along the trough28 and be picked up by the buckets 48 of the conveyer belt 44 as theconveyer belt 44 is driven. As the buckets 48 empty into the container80, the water containing the berries in suspension will be directed bythe spout 86 into the water filled tank 12. At such time as all of theberries have been threshed from the vines adjacent the apparatus 10, theapparatus 10 will be moved parallel to the trellises 88 one length suchthat the trough 28 will again underlie the vines containing berries, andthe process will be repeated. Alternatively, if the apparatus 10 ismoved very slowly, it is possible to thresh the berries from the vinessuch that they fall into the trough 28 without the necessity forcompletely stopping the forward motion of the apparatus 10.

The flow of water through the valve 38 will tend to cause the berriesdirected into the tank 12 to be evenly distributed. However, if theharvest is heavy, there will be some tendency for the berries toconcentrate in the region immediately beneath the spout 86. Thetransparent panels 22 provided in the tank 12 allow the operator toobserve the distribution of the berries within the tank and, ifnecessary, distribute them evenly throughout the tank by using a pole orrake or other similar means. As the berries are at all times suspendedin the water, there will always be a small amount of water cushioningone berry from the other and preventing the crushing of any berries. Atsuch time as the amount of fruit in the tank increases to the pointwhere it is apparent that there is some danger of crushing action, thetank should be unloaded.

The unloading operation is accomplished by opening the valve 90 to allowthe water and berries in the tank 12 to flow into the trough 28. Theconveyer belt 44 is operative to remove the berries and Water from thetrough 28 and empty them into the container 80. The container is turnedin such direction that the spout 86 is directed away from the tank 12and into suitable containers at the central storage area. At the timethe tank is being emptied, it is practical to run the 'water containingthe berries over a screen to separate the berries from the water andallow the berries to be directed into suitable size containers forfurther shipment or storage.

It is noteworthy that in the course of the entire harvesting operationutilizing the apparatus of the present invention, it is never necessarythat the berries be handled manually. All handling of the berries isaccomplished by moving water in which the berries are in suspensionthereby minimizing the danger of damaging the berries. In addition,certain beneficial cleaning action is accomplished. As the entireoperation is mechanized to a considerable degree, it is possible for theharvesting cost to be reduced considerably as one or two men can achieveresults that would require the efforts of many more people in theabsence of the present invention.

Although it is most desirable that the vines be trained to grow ontrellises which are inclined in the manner shown from the firstplanting, it is practical for existing trellises to be modified to themanner shown.

Many changes and modifications to the present invention will occur tothose skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description of thesame. The invention is not to be limited to what has been shown hereinbut only as necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a growing and harvesting apparatus wherein a trellis for berriesis located along and at least partially over the path of travel of theharvesting apparatus, said harvesting apparatus comprising:

(1) a tank adapted to contain water;

(2) means supporting said tank for movement along the ground;

(3) a trough;

(4) means connecting said trough to said means supporting said tankwhereby at least a portion of said trough extends beneath the berries tobe harvested such that berries threshed from a vine fall into saidtrough;

(5) means for controlling the flow of water into said trough from saidtank;

(6) and means for transporting the water and berries in said trough intosaid tank.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said trough slopes towardsaid means for transporting the water and berries.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for transportingcomprises a conveyer belt having a plurality of buckets formed thereon.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said conveyer belt istensioned at its lower end by a water lubricated roller.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said conveyer belt emptiesinto a container having a spout, said container being rotatably mountedwhereby said spout can be directed into said tank and away from saidtank.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said trough extends along twoadjacent sides of said tank.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said trough includes a sumpportion in which said conveyer belt moves.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for controllingthe flow of Water from said tank into said trough comprises a valve.

9. The method of harvesting berries that comprises:

(1) growing the berries on trellises that slant at an angle to allow amovable trough to pass under the berries to be harvested;

(2) positioning said movable trough beneath the berries to be harvested;

' (3) causing water to flow in said trough;

(4) separating the berries from the vine on which they grow to allowthem to fall into the water flowing in said trough; and

(5) transporting the water containing the berries in suspension fromsaid trough into a tank.

References Cited by the Examiner

1. IN A GROWING AND HARVESTING APPARATUS WHEREIN A TRELLIS FOR BERRIESIS LOCATED ALONG AND AT LEAST PARTIALLY OVER THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THEHARVESTING APPARATUS, SAID HARVESTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (1) A TANKADAPTED TO CONTAIN WATER; (2) MEANS SUPPORTING SAID TANK FOR MOVEMENTALONG THE GROUND; (3) A TROUGH; (4) MEANS CONNECTING SAID TROUGH TO SAIDMEANS SUPPORTING SAID TANK WHEREBY AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID TROUGHEXTENDS BENEATH THE BERRIES TO BE HARVESTED SUCH THAT BERRIES THRESHEDFROM A VINE FALL INTO SAID TROUGH; (5) MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OFWATER INTO SAID TROUGH FROM SAID TANK; (6) AND MEANS FOR TRANSPORTINGTHE WATER AND BERRIES IN SAID TROUGH INTO SAID TANK.